


Too Much

by PeterStark



Series: Messages Recieved [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Protective Tony Stark, Sensory Overload, Tony Stark Has A Heart, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 20:10:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20936045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeterStark/pseuds/PeterStark
Summary: During a meeting Tony gets an emergancy call from Peter, and Peter doesn't sound good at all.





	Too Much

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it’s been so long for this series. But here’s another one shot for you. These two are just so cute.

The meeting was droaning on. Tony hated meetings. Pepper was graceful, as ever, and glaring at him every time he glanced down at his phone. Pepper didn't need him at the meetings, she really had SI in hand, it was just his face, people expected to see his face. And it was annoying. He was damn close to using an LMD to take over for meetings so he could do something productive with his times, instead of listening to people argue over this and that.

A text came over his phone.

Pepper Pot:

Pretend like you care, please. Stop playing games, it doesn't look good.

Tony looked up and wondered when Pepper had gotten so good at texting under the table. He had to give her kudos for that. He texted her back.

'Me and a SHEILD guy are trying to one-up each other at Galaga...or, actually, I'm kicking ass and proving how incompetant SHIELD is. I'm being productive...unlike this meeting.'

Pepper shot him a look, but didn't text back.

Tony shut off the game and looked at his other texts. He re-read the ones from Peter and smiled softly. His son...his son was texting him, like all the time. Peter was a talker and Tony loved it, because he'd missed so much time talking with him already. He wanted to know everything about the kid. The weird thing, though, was he hadn't gotten a text since before Peter had went to bed. Usually he got a 'good morning' from his son...but not today. Instead, the last texts looked like this:

Underoos:

All I'm saying is that yeeting Kingpin would be just desserts for him.

Tony:

All I'm saying is: No. And I think I'm gonna pull rank on this one. Stick to the ground, kid. You can level up to things like crime bosses.

Underoos:

Nice use of 'level up' in conversation. But, Tony! I heard rumors about where he'd be. I say it should be checked out.

Tony:

And I say it's late and someone should be sleeping.

Underoos:

Like a certain old man I know?

Tony:

You are grounded, Mister. Don't call me old. Get some sleep, you've got school tomorrow, underoos.

Underoos:

Fine, fine. But someones' got to stop him. Goodnight, Tony.

Tony:

Goodnight, kid. Love you.

Peter hadn't responded in kind, but he and Tony had already talked about that. Tony didn't expect anything from Peter, they didn't have to be super close right away. He could even understand if Peter was angry with him sometimes. Tony was just happy that he was allowed to be in his son's life...and that it was a Friday night, because that meant he got to pick his son up from school and have him come home for the weekend. It was one of the things he and May had agreed on. He got weekends with Peter. They were co-parenting him, in a way. Tony had nothing against the woman, but he could tell she'd beat the shit out of him if he ever hurt Peter...he liked her for that.

Tony was going to give Peter all the time he could. He'd have to earn the title 'dad' he'd have to earn the 'I love you's' and he'd work for them. He'd missed out on his son's whole life, he'd take this relationship. He'd let it grow however it was going to, as long as he got to have his son in his life. A new text came in.

Pepper Pot:

Quit distracting Peter, he should be at school.

'Peter isn't texting me. How do you know I'm thinking of him?'

Pepper Pot:

You're smiling and you weren't texting me. It looks good on you. Just focus on the meeting okay?

Tony nodded and put his phone in his pocket. He really put in an effort to pay attention to the meeting. It was dull as usual, put he did get to set someone straight, so...there was that.

The phone rang. Usually, Tony's phone was on silent when he was at meetings, but there were some things his phone always audibly rang for...most of them were not good. He instantly pulled his phone out and his eyes widened. It was a panic alert from Peter. He got out of his seat.

"Mr. Stark-"

"Pep, I have to take this."

"Stay safe." Pepper nodded, reading his tone easily.

He kissed her cheek as he ran past her. As soon as he was out of the room he answered the phone. "Peter? Are you alright?"

A soft groan came through the speaker.

"Peter? Hey, kid, I need you to talk to me. What's going on?"

"It hurts...it's all too much." Peter whispered. 

Horrific scenarios began to fill Tony's mind. Was Peter hurt? Was he laying in a gutter somewhere, stabbed and bleeding? What happened to his son? He'd kill whoever touched him.

"C-can you come get me?"

"Of course, Pete. Are you okay? Where are you? What happened?"

"Shhh." Peter hushed him, his voice still quiet. "'m at the school."

What trouble could he have gotten into at his school? "I'm on my way, kid, just hang on. Do I need my suit?"

There was a grunt that sounded like a denial.

"Words, kid."

"No, just...please come get me." 

"Okay." Tony nodded. "Hang on, Underoos."

Peter hung up.

Tony ran to the elevator, ignoring all the looks he got as he moved. "Fri, basement." He got in his fastest car, not that it mattered in New York traffic. He hated that he couldn't move faster. His head kept replaying Peter's voice in his head. He sounded small, scared, hurt. Maybe he should have taken a suit. Peter was one of those kids who downplayed things, maybe this was a suit thing, maybe he should have been there already. But...what trouble could Peter be in at his school. Judging by the schematics and Peter's coordinates, Peter was in a janitor's closet. Nothing added up. There was no emergency alert from the school, no criminal activity, nothing? What happened to Peter, then?

Tony pulled up to the school and threw on a hat and sunglasses, not that it'd help much, given he was wearing a suit, but he had to try. He didn't want people finding out Peter was his son, Peter deserved his privacy, his space, especially when they were barely scratching the surface of their relationship. Fame didn't needed to be added to the mix. He ran into the school, a bit appalled that no one stopped him, but it was good in this one instance. He ran to Peter's coordinates and pulled open the door.

"Peter?"

A whimper was all he got in response.

"Kid?" Tony walked through the dark toward the sound. Peter was curled up in the corner, his hands over his ears. Tears were streaming down his face. The metal leg of a chair next to him was deformed by what looked like fingers. "Hey, hey...what's going on?" Tony knelt in front of him. "What did the chair do to you, bud?" He tried to lighten the mood, but Peter winced at his voice.

"O-" Peter winced and spoke quieter. "Overload. Too much."

Tony nodded and suddenly understood. Peter had told him that his senses were dialed up. That's why his goggles had to be darkened, so he could process everything around him easier. Everything had to be toned down around Peter. Tony learned that quickly. Usually he'd blare his music in the lab, but when Peter was there the music was quiet and soft and even Friday knew to dim the lights by at least thirty percent whenever Peter entered a room.

This looked bad. Peter was obviously in distress, wincing and flinching at things Tony couldn't even hear. And Peter had no one to call but Tony. No one else could understand that he had super-heightened senses, no one else knew about it. He reached out and ruffled Peter's hair and he leaned into the touch. Tony gently tapped Morse Code against the boy's head.

Peter nodded.

Tony took off his sunglasses and put them over Peter's eyes. He then picked Peter up and the kid instantly pressed his head to Tony's chest, tears soaking through the fabric. His heart broke for the teen. Peter was always so upbeat, so bright and happy. Now he was sobbing, and shaken, obviously in distress, maybe even pain. All Tony knew was that he was going to get his son somewhere safe and help him.

He helped Peter into the front seat and gently buckled him in. Peter leaned forward and pressed his head to his knees, his hands still over his ears, his eyes shut tight behind his glasses. Tony closed the door as quietly as he could and then got into his seat. He gently ruffled Peter's hair again, which seemed to calm him down a little bit, so he kept his hand there, gently playing with the soft curls to try to help ease his pain.

If the trip to the school had been slow, than the trip back to the tower was agonizing. Tony couldn't get there fast enough. As soon as they were in the underground garage, Tony helped Peter to the elevator and headed up to the penthouse. He sat Peter down on the sofa.

"Fri, blackout this whole floor, no noise, no lights." Tony whispered.

Without responding, Friday followed the order. 

"You okay?" Tony asked gently.

"Ticking." Peter whimpered.

"Sound proof my room, Fri." Tony said, realizing he had watches in his room. He took his watch off and quickly pulled the battery out. He went back to running his fingers through Peter's hair. Peter relaxed a little, even as he cried silently into the sofa.

"Thank you." Peter said.

Tony nodded, pretty sure that Peter could hear him move his head, so he didn't bother speaking. He tapped gently on Peter's neck. 'Okay? Need anything?'

Peter lifted an arm and tapped on Tony's wrist. 'Noise canceling headphones? I can hear your heartbeat and mine and it's loud.'

Tony left and went to his lab. He'd been working on a pair since Peter had mentioned that his senses became too much sometimes. He also grabbed one of the prototype Spiderman goggles. He didn't have the rest of the mask just yet, but they had to be better than the sunglasses. He headed back upstairs and gently put the headphones and goggles on Peter. Peter's body went limp against the sofa.

Tony gently touched his arm and tapped again. 'Better?'

Peter nodded. 'It was bad this time, worse than ever before.'

Tony winced and frowned. 'Anything I can do to help or do you need me to leave?'

'Stay, please. I just need some time. Maybe play with my hair some more? It's distracting me.'

Tony sat down on the sofa and grabbed one of the throw pillows. He rested it on his lap and lifted Peter's head onto it. Then he gently combed his fingers through his hair. Even under the goggles tears continued to leak out from Peter's eye. Tony texted May and said he picked up Peter early, just in case the school called her and said Peter was skipping. He then put his phone away, turning it all the way off so it couldn't make any noises to bother Peter.

It was an hour before Peter fully relaxed and the tears stopped leaking. Thirty minutes after that, Peter pulled off his goggles and headphones.

"Hey, you okay?" Tony whispered tentatively.

Peter blinked and sat up. "Better. That was bad. It was all so loud and bright."

"How about we keep the lights and volume down for tonight, huh?" Tony asked.

"Yes, please."

"I'm going to work on something discreet, some glasses and earbuds that can help you filter out information on...sensitive days." Tony said.

"Thank you, Tony." Peter whispered. "I'm sorry I had to call you, I know you were probably busy, but I thought I was going to lose my mind. It was just too much."

"Hey, you can always call me." Tony promised. "I'm never too busy for you, promise."

"Can...can I get a nap?"

"Yeah, kid. Get some rest." Tony watched Peter stumble toward his bedroom and heard the door close. "Fri, make sure the kid's room is under blackout protocols. Make sure no noise, no light, nothing, unless he asks for it."

"Yes, boss. Miss Potts is on her way up, shall I tell her anything?" Friday wondered.

"I'll handle it, thanks." Tony got up and pulled off his shoes, losened his tie and ran his hands through his hair.

The elevator doors opened and Pepper stepped in. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Peter had sensory overload. He's just now started to rest. He looked horrible, he was in so much pain be broke a metal chair with his bare hands." Tony shook his head. "He called me, he didn't have anyone else who could get him out of there."

"Poor thing." Pepper sighed. "Think he'll want some dinner or do you think he's out for the count tonight?"

"He'll probably be hungry, by the looks of it he never made it to lunch."

Pepper walked forward and gently rubbed Tony's shoulders. "He'll be alright. I'll make us all a big dinner and we can have a quiet night in. Alright?"

"Thank you, Pep."

She smiled gently and kissed the top of his head. "We've got this."

-

Peter woke up slowly, blinking his eyes open to his room. The first time he'd been in the room that Tony had meant for him to have it had been spartan, nice, but devoid of any character. Now there were a few posters and a desk with projects on it and clothes in his dresser and one of May's homemade blankets on his bed. This room was like a second home to him now. It even smelled right.

It was dark, and noiseless now, except for the sounds Peter made as he moved. "Friday, what time is it?" Peter whispered, afraid to trigger his senses again. The headache was still there, as was the lingering possibility of another overload. He didn't want to fuck it up again.

"It is seven at night, Peter." Friday answered at such a low volume that Peter was sure normal humans wouldn't be able to hear her. "Miss Potts has made dinner if you would like some. It should be ready in a few minutes. Boss says you're more than welcome if you feel up to it."

"Okay."

Peter nodded and took a few minutes getting up. He felt exhausted and a little dizzy. He slipped off his shoes and put on a more comfortable set of sweats and a baggy t-shirt before he headed out to the living room. 

The lights were on dimly and for a moment the bordered on too bright after coming out of he dark room, but his eyes adjusted. 

“Hey, underoos, you feeling alright?” Tony asked in a soft voice. 

Peter turned his head toward the sound and his eyes widened. Tony looked actually worried. Properly, full ‘my kid is hurt’ worried. It was the same look May got whenever she caught sight of a bruise. Peter smiles gently at his father. “I’m feeling a lot better.” He kept his voice quiet, just in case he wasn’t fully out of the woods.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Peter, you up for some dinner?” Pepper asked. 

“Yeah. Thank you, Miss Potts.” Peter nodded and headed to the cupboard to help get dinner plates down. 

“Uh-uh, Pete. Go ahead and sit down. I’ve got it.” Pepper nodded to the table. 

“Okay.” Peter agreed. He wanted to help, but he was still a bit dizzy. Sitting down was probably a good idea. On his way to his seat he looked up at Tony. “Thanks, again, Tony.”

Tony pulled him into a gentle hug. “Any time, Peter.”

Peter’s heart warmed. This is what it felt like then. This is how it felt to have a father. He hugged Tony back and closed his eyes. And he pretended his eyes didn’t water a little bit when he felt a gentle kiss press against his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> Take care, everyone.


End file.
